


Placed on a Pedestal

by altehst



Series: Age Switch AU [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, like very very slight but theres hints, this was written second but its actually part one lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-04-23 07:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19146415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altehst/pseuds/altehst
Summary: “It starts when Dick hears from Bruce for the first time in a few weeks. It's over text, predictably, and the message is brief and to the point. "I have important news. Dinner at the Manor tomorrow night at six if you’re free.””Or, Dick’s first meeting with Tim ends rather explosively, and he doesn’t know how to reconcile this new kid with the fact that Jason’s less than six months dead and Bruce already has a new kid in the cape.





	Placed on a Pedestal

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place at the beginning of Tim's Robin career. Set in an AU that is more fully explored in the second story in this series, where Tim is still Robin before Damian but Damian is about a year and a half older than Tim. 
> 
> This is AU, and as such, I've changed the circumstances of Tim becoming Robin a little bit. He talks with Bruce and eventually becomes Robin, but he doesn't save Dick and Bruce from Two-Face.
> 
> Ages: 
> 
> Dick: 18
> 
> Tim: 11 (but Dick and Bruce think he's 13... will be expanding on this in a later story in the series.)

It starts when Dick hears from Bruce for the first time in a few weeks. It's over text, predictably, and the message is brief and to the point. "I have important news. Dinner at the Manor tomorrow night at six if you are free."

Dick shoots back an affirmative before he can talk himself out of it. He- much as he doesn't want to admit it, much as he is still angry at Bruce for many, many things, the most recent being Jason's death- misses the man who has become as much of a father to him as his own father was. 

* * *

The next day comes by rather too fast for Dick, and by three o'clock he's rethinking his decision. He needs to leave in the next half hour if he's actually going to make it back to Gotham by six- while the drive between Bludhaven and Gotham isn't too bad, the traffic getting out of Bludhaven is terrible after four. 

He manages not to chicken out of it, and come five forty-five he's knocking on the front door of the manor. 

He tries not to think about the days where he felt comfortable enough to just walk in, the days where this was home. 

Alfred opens the door to the Manor, and the older man's face lights up when he sees who it is. "Master Richard," he says warmly, "Come in."

Dick grins and wraps Alfred in a hug. Then, stepping back, he asks, "Where's Bruce?"

Alfred's smile drops. "He's downstairs. He'll be up in just a moment."

Dick can't help but feel that something's up. He follows Alfred to the dining room, and watches for a moment as the older man heads to the kitchen. Then he turns, and, sitting to the left of the head of the table, is a rather nasty little surprise. 

Said surprise is watching him with wide eyes. Blue eyes, black hair that's straighter than Jason's was, and there's no doubt who this kid is in Dick's mind. He's heard rumors of a new Robin but dismissed them, because surely Bruce wouldn't give someone else Robin so soon after Jason's death, much less without at least sending Dick a by-the-way, right?

Apparently not.

Bruce's voice sounds from behind Dick. "Dick-"

The younger man pivots on his heel to face Bruce. " _You replaced him?"_ He snarls in disbelief. "It hasn't even been six months and you've already got a new kid in the cape? Is that all we are to you? Just little soldiers that you get rid of once they're useless and replace without a second thought after they're too old or too  _dead_?"

Dick knows his words are cutting. That if he stays here he's going to say something he's going to seriously regret and possibly end his relationship with Bruce altogether. 

Part of him wants to. The other part wants to be able to visit Jason's grave in peace.

Dick turns, storming out of the dining room. He ignores Bruce's calls to him, shoots a vicious glare at the kid, who's still sitting in his seat staring at Dick with wide eyes, and storms out of the Manor and straight back to Bludhaven.

* * *

Three weeks later, Dick comes back to the Manor. This time, Tim's the one to answer the door. He looks wary. After what happened last time Dick was here, he doesn't exactly blame the kid. He takes a breath. "I need to talk to Bruce."

Tim shifts a little uneasily, but opens the door enough to let Dick in. "He's in his study."

Dick nods. He walks past the kid, leaving him standing in the entryway, and heads straight to the aforementioned room. Sure enough, Bruce is in there. The older man looks up as Dick enters, his gaze looking tired. Dick sinks into a chair and talks before Bruce can. "I'm not here to argue. Just to talk."

Bruce raises an eyebrow, the meaning clear.  _Go_   _on._

Dick shifts in his seat, rubbing his thumb over his wrist as he speaks. "With Tim... It seems like you're just replacing Jason, Bruce."

Bruce shakes his head immediately. "Tim will never replace Jason. To tell the truth, I wasn't looking for a new Robin. He saw I was in a bad place, and he's... helped me."

Dick sighs. "But he's here, taking Jason's place in the family. In the job."

Again, Bruce shakes his head. "Absolutely not. Tim is a coworker, a close one, but that's all he is. His parents are still alive. He interviewed for the job. He got it. He made good points. I was getting too reckless, too violent. I didn't want to betray Jason's memory like that."

Dick rubs the bridge of his nose, silent for a minute before replying. "I guess."

Bruce hesitates before he speaks again, his voice softer, more unsure than it has been around Dick for a long time. "Why don't- why don't you just come on patrol with us tonight? See how he operates."

Dick considers it. He does have a couple spare suits here. At this point, what does he have to lose? He shrugs. "Fine."

Bruce speaks again as Dick stands to exit the room. "Dick, I know that we've- that we've grown apart, but I hope you know that Jason never replaced you. And Tim will definitely never replace Jason."

Dick's shoulders slump. He takes a deep breath, two, three, before replying. "I think... I think it's going to take me a while to believe you on that, Bruce." He hesitates before quietly adding under his breath, "But it's a start."

That night they suit up in silence, and Dick can't help but note how much quieter Tim is than Jason ever was. 

Patrol is an old route, easy and familiar, and they split up, Dick and Tim together looking into some of Penguin's old haunts while Bruce checks out a lead on a drug lord on the other side of the city. Once the pair reaches the last building on the route, Dick suddenly gets a feeling that something's up. He motions to Tim. "You go west, I'll go east. Meet up in the back. Be careful."

Tim nods. He moves off in the direction indicated, and Dick watches him go for a minute before he turns and heads east. He can't shake the feeling that something's wrong. 

It's barely been two minutes before Dick's comm comes to life. Tim's voice is short, clipped, as he says, "I ran into trouble. Requesting backup." 

Even before he stops talking, Dick's moving. Bruce's voice sounds in his ear, rough and deep and tinged with concern. "Nightwing?"

Dick responds to the unasked question. "I'm close. Don't come yet, I'll call if we need more backup."

He rounds the corner of the building and spots the kid. His heart is in his mouth as he pushes himself to move faster, watching as Tim goes toe-to-toe with some of Penguin's biggest thugs. The kid's doing a decent job holding his own, but he's still new, still hesitant in some of his movements. Dick jumps into the fray without hesitation and starts eliminating enemies. In no time at all, the thugs are groaning on the ground, and the kid's looking up at Dick even as the older boy can see the beginnings of a nasty bruise spreading along his chin. "Thanks."

Dick nods, not quite sure how he wants to respond. As Robin begins to zip-tie the criminals, Dick reaches up and taps his comm. "We're good here."

Bruce answers immediately. "I'm finished as well. Let's call it a night."

Dick doesn't answer, just turns back to help the kid finish with the thugs. Afterwards, they climb on their bikes and begin the drive home. They ride in silence. Dick thinks about a lot of things. He thinks about all the ways he messed up with Jason. The way he pushed the younger boy away out of jealously, out of insecurity, and because of his fights with Bruce. He remembers getting to know him a little better and realizing, grudgingly, that he liked the kid. 

He remembers the few happy days they spent together, interspersed through all the bad days driven by Dick and Bruce's quarrels. Remembers the way Jason was always such a kind kid, especially to those in difficult situations at school or at home.

He remembers the gut-wrenching sorrow when he learned Jason was dead, remembers mourning the boy and all the lost and never to be regained moments.

Dick doesn't want to make the same mistakes twice.

Once they get back, the kid dismounts, sneaking a glance over at Dick before he turns to head for the showers. Dick pulls off his helmet, calls out, "Hey, kid- Tim."

Dick can't help but notice the way his eyes light up when he turns back to face Dick. "Yeah?"

"Good work out there today."

Tim's grin is near-blinding. "Thanks."

Dick watches him go, feeling a knot that had been in his chest for a long time begin to loosen. Maybe this will work after all. Maybe he can apologize to Jason in some belated way by being kinder to his successor. 

 _Jason would approve_ , he thinks. He'll find out eventually how wrong he is, but for tonight, life is starting to look a little brighter.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you thought!
> 
> Also LOL I was going through my drafts and realized I had 6 days to finish this before it was deleted...
> 
> Also Also, I know Bruce comes across as a little distant and stuff towards Tim, but I always thought that he took a while to warm up to him?


End file.
